In fact, English has borrowed words from over 350 languages around the world, thus making it the only language with the most words. The Oxford English Dictionary had listed 616,500 words in the 2005 edition, while in June 2009 English is said to have acquired its millionth word. It has been a big surprise for me to discover that about 65% of the English words derive from Latin and that over 25% come from French. Here is a brief list of words, that are part of our every day English vocabulary and that were taken from Latin.
From LATIN:
A.D. for anno domini, A.M. for ante meridiem, ad nauseam , addenda, affidavit, agenda, alma mater, auditorium, aurora borealis (australis), bonus, c.v. for curriculum vitae , campus, fetus, forum, in absentia, in flagrante delicto, in vitro, memorabilia, memorandum, millennium, P.M. for post meridiem, P.S. .for post scriptum, pandemonium, penis, per capita, per se, persona non grata, podium, premium, quorum, referendum, senior, solarium, stadium, status quo, terminus viceversa, villa, virus, etc, etc.
From FRENCH:
à la carte, antique, apéritif, armoire, baguette, ballet, banquet, belle, bouquet, bourgeoisie, boutique, bracelet, bric-à-brac, camouflage, carte blanche, chauffeur, champagne, chargé d’affaires, chef, cliché, coiffeur, collage, concierge, coup de grâce, critique, cul de sac, décor, déjà vu, dessert , détour, digestif, discothèque, élite, entrepreneur, équipe, étiquette, fait accompli, farce, gourmet, héroïne, hors-d’œuvre, liaison ,limousine, maître d`hôtel, manœuvre, mardis gras, marionnette, massage matinée, pirouette, personnel, premier, questionnaire, rendez-vous, répertoire, route, table d`hôte, tête-à-tête, tournée, tour…
From ITALIAN :
adagio, andante, antipasto , arena, aria, ballerina, bel canto, belladonna, belvedere, bordello, bravo, broccoli, caffè, cannelloni, cappuccino, ciao, cupola, dilemma, dilettante, diva, dolce vita , duo, espresso, fiasco , finale, forte, fresco, ghetto, graffiti, imbroglio , incognito, inferno, influenza, latte, lingua franca, loggia, maestro, malaria, marina, motto, mozzarella, nostalgia, opera , paparazzi, pasta , piano, piazza, porcini, presto, primadonna , propaganda, ravioli , replica, salvo, scenario solo, soprano, spaghetti , stucco, studio, terracotta, vendetta, villa...
From SPANISH:
adiós, alfafa, armada, avocado, banana, bandido, bonanza, bronco, cafeteria, canasta, cantina, cargo, chili, cinema, conga, coyote, desesperado, enchilada , fiesta, flamenco, guerrilla, jalapeño, laguna, macho, mañana, margarita, mosquito, orégano, patio, piña colada, pinto, plaza, poncho, pronto, pueblo, rodeo, sierra, siesta , silo, sombrero, tango, tequila, tomate, tornado, tortilla, vainilla, vigilante…
No wonder English is the lingua franca of business, diplomacy, science, and technology.
Lately it has affected the two official languages of the European Union (French and English) as English now seems to be the preferred workable language. I think it’s safe to say that, thanks to the internet, English is spreading like a virus.
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